Well, I’m thankful I had two weeks between my first and second post for the Cable Luxe Tunic KAL because life has been full of family, fun, and food this Thanksgiving! Not a lot of time for knitting, but I have actually found working on this sweater enjoyable, since it is done one step at a time. I have been thrilled to hear from all of you who have joined us! For those who feel a little pressed for time during the holidays or think that this tunic may be too complicated for you, here is my advice: Take this sweater step-by-step. This sweater doesn’t have different parts worked on at the same time, but instead each part of the sweater is worked in order.

In my last post, I had started the cable strip that goes around the upper part of the sweater. I’m making the smallest size for my daughter, and the instructions stated that I should end at 44″ and with row 2 of the 16 row cable repeat. I’m betting that not too many ended up exactly at their measurement – and I ended up at around 43″. If you’re not at the exact measurement when you hit that last row 2, just end at the row 2 that is the closest to your measurement, and then bind off on the next row. Why end on row 2? Well, this is a good break to sew together the beginning and end of the strip. I noticed that the cable strip curled quite a lot on the edges, so like I almost always do, I dampened the piece with a spray bottle of water and let it dry completely. It eased considerably and made it easier to sew and pick-up stitches–and I was able to shape it to the 44″ asked for in the pattern!

Sewing knitted pieces together is probably over half of what I have to teach to my students. Many of them are so surprised when I show them that the best way to sew most of their pieces together is to have the right sides facing them while sewing. So, to show how to sew the cabled strip together, I’m showing the progress of my sewing in this picture with contrast thread (my needle is inserted in the next stitch to be sewn – I took the yarn out of the needle so you can see the needle!)

Here it is, all sewn with the pink Wool-Ease. See how the cable continues through the seam since we ended with row 2?

Now, I have the completed the cable strip, which the rest of the sweater will grow from, starting with the back. In this sweater, as important as your needles, will be stitch markers to guide you. I love the split-ring type of markers that you can attach to either your knitting or on your needles. I need to mark my strip 7″ on each side of the cable strip seam. I will mark exactly where my back, front, and sleeves will be before I pick up for the back. This way I can make sure both the front and the back are the same width, and that both sleeves will measure the same as well. I have to pick up 82 stitches for the back, so between the back markers, I will evenly space 3 other (different color) markers to make 4 smaller spaces where I will pick up 20, 21, 20, and 21 stitches. This makes picking up the total 82 stitches so much easier, and I know they will be picked up evenly.

Some of you may have already noticed that the instructions now split-off for the different sizes. This looks complicated, but I have already circled all the instructions for the small size I’m doing, including the parts that give instructions for all the sizes. Now I will be working on that back this week, but the nice thing is that I am only working on the back and don’t need to think about what I will need to do for the front, sleeves, and yoke yet. That’s my type of holiday knitting with so many other things that need to be done on my to do list!

For those of you in the New York City area, stop by the Lion Brand Yarn Studio to see a sample of the Cable Luxe Tunic live!

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Regarding the increases on the back, I figured it out differently than Connie #24.
Since the midlle cable pattern is 12 rows, and the side cabels are only 8 rows, together they form a 24 rows pattern, in which you knit the middle exactly 2 times and the sides 3 times.
So, I increased every time I got a row 3 for both the middle and the side cables.
But now I’m puzzeld. I want to make the sweater longer than the pattern, so should I do a 4th increase?

Heather says: “Hi, Hagit: Today’s post includes an explanation for the increases, but to simplify it for you, after you do the first increase (on row 3 of 2nd repeat of the Center Cable) do the two subsequent increase on row 3 of the Center Cable pattern 2 more times. So, you will be doing that increase every 12 rows, not 24. Also, if you want to make the tunic longer, I would just keep knitting straight after the last increase – you probably will not need any more width.”

Pat

Hi Cora (#44)

I found the corrections on the LB website. There is a menu choice for corrections. Then in the search box on the corrections page, put the pattern name or number in and the corrections will come up. I just found it and printed a copy for myself.

Heather says: “Thanks, Pat: Here is the link in case anyone is having a problem accessing it:

I’ve already completed the increasing on the back so that I have the proper 140 stitches (I’m doing the size small), and will now just work away until it measures 17″. I noticed on the LB website that there are corrections on the 4/4 Center Cable, too late for me, I did the cable just as the pattern stated originally, and even though it isn’t exactly like the picture, it still looks very pretty so I’ll leave it like that even for the front so they’re the same. Like you, I also did all the outside cables in 3/3 LC and think it looks just fine. I did all my increases by knitting into the front and back of the stitch, but on the front of the sweater I will try your suggested method of doing a “make 1″ purlwise, I’ve never done that before. So far the sweater looks great(after a few snags..) and I’ve learnt a great deal from everyone’s input!

Connie

So how exactly do I access the new post for today? The last time a new post went up some others weren’t aware, and were still posting on the introduction post, which is fine by me, however if they were needing some help we might not have known for some time, and they might have felt a bit abandoned.

Zontee says: Hi Connie, Heather’s posts will go up on Thursdays. You can always see new posts by going to http://blog.lionbrand.com as the blog is in date order with new posts on top. If you’re on this page, just click on the “Blog” button at the top to go back to the main page and see new entries. You can also just click on the “knit-along” category in the right-hand bar to see only knit-along posts.

Sherry

I think I’m falling far behind already. Will the posts by Heather and all the comments be available after everybody else has finished their sweater and I’m still working on mine?

Zontee says: Hi Sherry, absolutely everything will stay up here on the blog, so stop by whenever you’re ready to keep reading and click on “Knit-Along” under Categories in the right-hand column to see just the knit-along-related posts.

Alice

I have been knitting for years. I was excited to make this sweater. There are so many mistakes in this pattern making it very time consuming to try to fix them. Will a better written version of this pattern be offered to us that downloaded it. Not the pages of corrections separate? I now have pages of the misprinted pattern and pages of corrections. What a mess to page back and forth looking for the correct way to knit this. Short of taking everything and retyping it all up and hoping that there are no more errors in it, giving us a rewritten patter would be best.

Traci

Sherry, I print the hints,tips and answers to questions(I and others have asked) and Heather’s blog. If I come across something I’m not familiar with,I print it. “The truth is out there,” and I’m printing it out.

http://www.evethefiberfanatic.blogspot.com Eve

Well I am afraid the largest size might be a bit too small to look right as I have around a 60 inch bust, can this pattern be enlarged a bit to make it a 3XL??

If you look where we could download the pattern in the beginning and click on that the corrections come up. I now have 2 pages of corrections plus the pages I got in the beginning. It will take a lot of paging back and forth to make the sweater.

Help please. After reading Traci’s comment (#41) and Heather’s response, I’m really confused. I’m also working on the medium back. I’m interpreting the pattern which say to work the armhole shaping even until Row 2 of the second rep of Center Cable to mean that the increase row comes in row 3 of the the beginning of the third large cable (the first repeat being the second cable and the second repeat being the third cable). That puts me on row 3 of both the large and small cable as the pattern states. It appears you are interpreting it now to mean do the increase at row 3 of the first repeat. Can you please, please clarify? Many thanks. This is a beautiful pattern and I’d like to do it correctly.

Betsy

I’m late with this project but mabe because you have all fiished you can help me. I am doing the small sweater and am at 42″ for the yoke would it be better to do another 16 rows or stop? I think I am really asking how is the sizing of the sweater? Does it seem big or small?

Thanks

Joann

Dear Heather, I have now tried 10 times to pick up stitches along the yoke and can’t do it. I simply don’t understand what stitch I am supposed to pick up. Nothing I do looks like your picture. Can you provide a close-up picture of what stitch you are picking up.

Betsy

I went ahead and sewed it together but even though I stopped at row 2 the cables didn’t seem to match up but it looks O.K. so I’m going to try picking up.

Parma Rishel

I have only been knitting since Aug 08 and this is my 5th garment to make. It is going pretty well with a few small glitches but I am excited about my results. I have had to get a notebook and write out the stitches for each row in order to keep it all straight with the different rows in the the 3/3 LC and 4/4 Center Cable patterns. Are more experienced knitters able to keep all of the different rows and patterns in their mind? This has been a huge mental task, but so much fun. I am using Caron Simply Soft Heather Plum yarn and it is beautiful. Thank you for all of the instructions and notes. They are a life saver. Parma

Renee

Hi Joann (#64), Don’t worry at all about whether you’re picking up one stitch for every row when you do pick ups like this — perpendicular to the original work. Just mark off segments to indicate the distance in which you need to make (pick up) 10 stitches, then find space to pull the yarn through 10 times. Any space will do.

Parma,
I’m a fairly experienced knitter and I use row counters every time. For this pattern, I’m using a larger row counter on one needle to keep track of the large center cable rows, and a small row counter on the other needle to keep track of the rows for the smaller side cables.

dona bell

I finished the Cable Strip! Can’t beleive it! Took me several times to get the seam sewn up at the back. Finally looks like the picture. I’m left handed so it takes me a while to figure things out.Any other lefties out there?

Miryam

Has anyone else decided to do the garter stitch yoke BEFORE doing the front, back and sleeves? I found that it was very helpful to be able to put the yoke on, find out where the cable ring fell on my shoulders and where across the breast area, and helped determine how long the front, back and side pieces should actually be. Also, if you did that, you could try it on before casting off the back, for instance, and decide if it looks like it’s long enough or too long.

shirley l. kurland

I would ike to try this pattern but first would you kindly send a picture of the sweater and the instructions? Thanks, Shirley.

Zontee says: Hi Shirley, please click here to see pattern details (with yarn amounts, sizes, etc.) and to purchase the pattern. You can alternately purchase a knit kit which includes both the pattern and the recommended yarn.

doris miller

l have read all the questions posted and the answers. is there a condensed version. for example, l didn’t realize that the sections were done seperately…..back, sleeve, etc. l thought the garment was done all at the same time, row by row….thank you. please e-mail me the answer

Heather Reedy

I am knitting this fabulous sweater for my daughter and having so much fun! I am scaling it down by knitting it on #3’s in a finer yarn — it works out to about 70% of the adult size small. I am also converting it to the cardigan version. I’ll eventually post it on Ravelry (when I get organized…)

Just to double check my math, I would love for anyone who is knitting the small size of this sweater to share with me their answer to this question:

How many complete repeats of the yoke cable did you knit to achieve the 44″?

Thanks!!!!

Annette Daniels

i love the knit a longs. they give me the courage to try things i would never try on my own. thank you for the beautiful and easy to follow directions!!!